A cellular confinement structure serves to increase the load bearing capacity, stability, and erosion resistance of infill materials which are placed within the cells of the system. A commercially available system is Geoweb® plastic web confinement structure sold by Presto Products, Inc., Appleton, Wis. Geoweb® cells are made from high density polyethylene strips that are joined by welds on their faces in a side-by-side relationship at alternating spaces so that when the strips are stretched out in a direction perpendicular to the faces of the strips, the resulting web section is honeycomb-like in appearance, with sinusoidal or undulated-shaped cells. Geoweb® sections are lightweight and are shipped in their collapsed form for ease in handling and installation. Geoweb® systems have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,395,372; 4,778,309; 4,965,097; and 5,449,543, each of these patents being incorporated by reference herein.
The cellular confinement structures are typically arranged adjacent to each other and then connected together. In the past, these sections have been connected together by using staples, wires, cable ties, etc. These devices are labor-intensive and consume excessive construction time. In many implementations, these types of connections are difficult to use because of the particular situation or terrain. Most often, these types of connection systems require power from generators and air actuation from compressors. The requirement for power can add to the difficulty, given the particular environment or terrain that such cellular confinement systems are typically placed. The unit cost per connection can be quite high on smaller projects as the fixed costs for supply of generators and air compressors are similar to a small installation as would be required for a large installation. Moreover, some of these connection devices provide relatively weak structural connections and are non-durable. In some implementations, these are not problems. In many applications, however, speed is important and the availability of power equipment is challenging. In many implementations, long-term durability is mandatory. Improvements are desirable.